Sharp's New 5-inch HD Display Is Crystal Clear

Sharp's launching a new 5-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel display this week in Japan — and it's one of the most pixel-dense screens to date.

According to the Verge, the new display uses TFTs produced with continuous grain (CG) silicon rather than the recently lauded IGZO transistor technology. Despite the fact it's an older technology, it still lets Sharp cram in a full 1920 x 1080 HD display into the 5-inch form factor.

That means the display offers up a pixel density of 442 pixels per inch. Compare that to the Retina display of the iPhone, which manages 326 ppi, and it sounds really rather promising. The new display is pictured above on the right, next to an iPhone. It's worth pointing out that Sharp has hit a high of 498 ppi with a 6.1-inch IGZO prototype in the past, but that's not seen commercial release yet.

If you're wondering why the company is using CG silicon over IGZO — good question! — then a Sharp rep told the Verge that it allows faster response times and, in turn, higher resolutions. Perhaps more importantly, because it's better-established technology, it's easier to set into mass production, too. And that, of course, means that it might not be long before full HD phones are the norm. [Engadget, Verge]